The Ghost in Me
by Olivsissweet
Summary: JONAS Kevin, Joe, and Nick's uncle is staying with them for a week. Their uncle beats them every day. Suddenly a tragedy happens that turns the boys' world upside down. Follow the Lucas boys as they struggle through their lives and try to take care of each other. WARNING: contains rape, abuse, and death.
1. Chapter 1

**I hope you like this story!**

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"Come on brat!" Uncle John spat at me. "It's your turn to fix breakfast!" I tried to get up but Uncle John held me down. "This is what you get for being late!"

He began to choke me. I thrashed about underneath him, trying to push Uncle John's hands away from my throat. As he was choking me he began to punch me in the stomach. I could feel my face reddening from lack of oxygen. I banged on the wall so that Joe could hear me. Joe shot out of bed and ran over to Uncle John and me. He tried to pull Uncle John off of me but Uncle John was too strong.

Then Uncle John punched my lip, causing it to bleed. Seeing the blood caused Joe's adrenaline to kick into action. He punched Uncle John in the stomach and Uncle John loosened his grip on me. Joe called for Kevin who came running in. Kevin helped Joe pull Uncle John off of me. I coughed violently and gasped for air. I could barely breathe and continued to cough. Joe came over to me to see if I was okay. Kevin started yelling at Uncle John.

"ARE YOU INSANE?" he shouted. "WHEN OUR PARENTS FIND OUT ABOUT THIS YOU ARE NEVER GOING TO WATCH US EVER AGAIN!"

Uncle John ran over to me before Joe and Kevin could stop him. He grabbed me and pulled me toward the door. He then ran into the kitchen and got out a knife. He pointed the knife at my neck and allowed a few drops of blood to leak out of my neck before Kevin and Joe came in. Joe saw the blood and started running toward John but Kevin stopped him.

"You may hurt Nick," Kevin said. Joe stopped. "Uncle John you don't know what you're doing."

"Yes I do!" Uncle John said. "I'm threatening your brother's life. If you tell anyone I will slice his throat when you least expect it, got it?"

"Got it," Joe and Kevin said at the same time.

"I have friends in jail who will help me escape if I'm ever arrested," Uncle John said. He lightly slid the knife across my neck so that a little more blood came out. I whimpered.

"Please don't!" Joe pleaded.

"He's only thirteen!" Kevin said.

"If you tell anyone and I get arrested, I will escape from prison and kill him, got it?" Uncle John said.

"Got it," Joe and Kevin said fearfully. Then they both looked into my eyes and silently told me to hang on. I gave them a slight nod, letting them know that I understood.

"Now, go make breakfast Nick or I will beat you!"

"Y-yes s-sir," I said.

John let me go and Joe and Kevin wrapped their arms around me. Then John kicked me and told me to get to work. Kevin went to get the First-Aid kit while Joe helped me with breakfast. He kept a paper towel pressed on my neck so that no blood would go in the breakfast I was making. When I was done making breakfast John sat down and Joe and Kevin led me to Kevin's room.

Uncle John was watching us for a week while Mom and Dad went to the Bahamas for their anniversary. Uncle John beats us, well mostly me. He punishes Joe and Kevin by beating me in front of them while they can't help me. My brothers care a lot about me. If they could, they would die for me.

"Sit still," Kevin said as he cleaned up the cut on my neck.

"It hurts Kev," I whined.

"I'm sorry it hurts but we don't want it to get infected," Kevin said.

I sighed. "You're right, as usual," I said.

Kevin smiled. "I'm not always right," he said.

"You're right most of the time," I said.

"He's right you know," Joe said.

"Well, I'm glad you guys think so," Kevin said.

Kevin then wrapped gauze around my neck. He made sure it wasn't too tight and put up the medical supplies. He then gave me a hug. Joe, of course, joined the hug. I groaned as they squeezed me where a bruise was forming. They apologized and loosened their grip on me.

"Nicholas, get in here!" John yelled.

"It's okay Nick," Kevin said when he saw the fear on my face. "We'll be right behind you."

"Okay," I whispered.

I walked into the kitchen and a hand popped out of nowhere and slapped me so hard that I fell to the floor. Joe bent down to me and rubbed my back as John laughed.

"Foolish boy!" he said as he laughed.

"Leave Nick alone!" Kevin said bravely.

John slapped Kevin and grabbed me out of Joe's grasp. He dragged me to my parents' room and closed and locked the door. Then he began to hit me. I screamed at the top of my lungs even though I was trying to be strong for Joe and Kevin. His blows were so strong that I tasted blood when he slapped my face. He pulled down my pants and hit my butt with a belt. I tried to fight back, I really did, but John was too strong. I could hear Joe and Kevin trying to get in by ramming into the door. When that didn't work they begged and pleaded for John to stop.

John stopped hitting my butt and pulled up my pants. Then he pulled my shirt off of me and rolled me over so that I was on my stomach, he started whipping my back with the buckle end of the belt as I tried to get out from underneath him. I continued to scream as he pulled me off of the bed and started kicking me in the stomach. He kicked and kicked until I could barely keep my eyes open. Before I passed out I saw Uncle John open the door and Joe and Kevin rush to me. One of my brothers held my hand as I lost consciousness.

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	2. Chapter 2

When I woke up I was laying in Kevin's bed. There was something wet on my forehead and I slowly reached my hand toward it. Someone grabbed my hand and put it at my side. I looked over and saw Joe. He had tears rolling down his face but was smiling when he saw I was awake.

"Keep the wash cloth on your forehead," Joe said quietly so as not to scare me. "It'll help with the pain." I tried to sit up but groaned. My butt, back, and stomach hurt. "Stay down," Joe said. "I know your back probably stings but you need to relax."

"Kev?" I asked hoarsely.

"He's on the phone with Mom and Dad," Joe said.

"Is he….gonna tell?" I asked hoarsely.

"I don't think so," Joe said. "He wouldn't risk your life like that." I relaxed a little but then moaned. My stomach hurt every time I breathed. "Once Kevin's off the phone, he's gonna get you some icepacks for your stomach. Just hang on Nick."

"Where's…John?" I asked.

"He's eating dinner with a girl," Joe said. "We can have dinner free of beatings."

"Good," I said.

I laid my head down and took a deep, slow, and painful breath. I felt Joe hold my hand and opened my eyes. He seemed so worried so I smiled at him. He smiled back and seemed to relax a little. Soon Kevin came in with a few icepacks. He smiled when he saw I was awake. He wrapped the icepacks in washcloths so that the icepacks wouldn't feel so cold to my skin. Then he gently lifted my shirt and gasped. I looked down and noticed my stomach was caving in and was purple.

"Nick!" Kevin breathed. "Have you been eating?"

"Not since Mom and Dad left," I said. "Uncle John won't let me."

"That bastard!" Joe said. "Sorry for my language."

"It's okay," I said. "I totally agree with you."

Kevin gently placed the icepacks on my stomach. Then he ran into the kitchen.

"How come you never told us?" Joe asked.

"I didn't want to worry you," I said.

"Well that worked out great seeing as I'm worried!" Joe said.

"Joe, calm down!" Kevin said as he came back in with a steaming hot plate of noodles. My stomach growled and I didn't blame it; the noodles smelled delicious. "Now, eat up! I'm not leaving until you eat every last noodle on this plate!"

"When John finds out, he's gonna beat me!" I said fearfully.

"Let Joe and I worry about that," Kevin said. "You need to eat and gain some energy."

"But I –" I began but my stomach interrupted me.

"Nick, please!" Kevin begged. I looked into his eyes and saw he was desperate.

I sighed and took a bite. I ate slowly, savoring every mouthful. Soon, the plate was empty. I leaned back and sighed. Joe and Kevin smiled.

"You feeling better?" Joe asked with a grin.

"Yeah," I said. "Thanks guys."

"You're welcome," they said.

Once they had taken care of me, Joe and Kevin ate their dinner. As they were eating I heard a car pull up. I looked out the window and saw John get out of his car.

"GUYS!" I warned.

I heard clattering of plates as Joe and Kevin put their plates away as fast as they could. My plate was still on the bedside table so I hid it under the bed. John came in Kevin's room and closed the door. He came toward me. I cowered as far from John as I could get. He raised a baseball bat that Kevin had and came toward me. I screamed as he beat me. He was clearly drunk. I could smell his alcoholic breath from across the room. Joe and Kevin banged on the door, trying to get in. Soon John finished my beating and opened the door.

"You two can eat now," John said.

"We're not hungry!" Joe said.

"Not after you hurt our brother!" Kevin said.

"Well, I guess there's more for me!" John said.

"What about Nick?" Joe asked.

"He doesn't deserve to eat!" John said. "He screamed while I beat him."

"What do you expect?" Kevin asked.

"I expect him to keep his rotten little mouth shut!" John said.

He stormed out of the room. Joe and Kevin ran to me. I was in tears from the pain. They carefully wrapped their arms around me and held me until I calmed down. Then I coughed up some blood. Kevin saw the blood and picked up the phone.

"What're you doing?" I asked hoarsely, a little dazed from the attack.

"I'm calling the hospital!" Kevin said.

"No, don't!" I said. "He'll kill me!"

"Nick, you just coughed up some blood," Kevin said. "That means something is wrong."

"But the doctors will know we're getting beaten and put John in jail," I said. "Then he'll escape and kill me!"

"Nick, look at me!" Kevin said. I looked at my oldest brother. "I won't let that happen."

"Promise?" I asked.

"Promise," Kevin said.

Suddenly Uncle John came in with a knife. "You worthless boy!" he yelled at me. "You're so weak you couldn't even handle not eating for a few days!" I looked at him in shock. "Don't think I didn't see the plate under your bed!"

Kevin stood in front of me and whispered to me," When I tell you to, I want you to run as fast as you can!"

"But Kev – "

"No buts," Kevin said. I nodded. Kevin suddenly charged at Uncle John. Uncle John was caught off guard and Joe pushed me, telling me to run. "GO!" Kevin shouted.

I ran out of the room as fast as my legs could carry me. I felt a sharp pain at my calf and saw a gash where Uncle John had cut me. Blood was flowing down my leg causing me to slow down. I started feeling weak. I heard Joe yell and saw Uncle John coming toward me with the knife. I tried to run but was in too much pain. I felt him stab my back and screamed. I felt Uncle John pull the knife out of my back and stab me again. I screamed again. I saw Joe out of the corner of my eye, trying to stop John from stabbing me again. Uncle John flipped me over so that I was facing him. I was so weak from the pain and loss of blood that I couldn't fight back. He aimed the knife at my chest and I closed my eyes.

Suddenly I heard Kevin scream, "NOOOOOO!"

I opened my eyes and saw Joe against the wall, barely conscious. There was blood on his left arm. Then Kevin came out of nowhere as Uncle John was about to stab me. Then everything happened in slow motion. I gasped as the knife went in Kevin's chest. Kevin looked at the knife and fell to the ground.

"KEVIN!" I screamed.

Kevin fell next to me, gasping for breath.

"No!" Uncle John said when he realized what he did. "This is your fault Nicholas! If you had just let me kill you, your brother wouldn't be dying right now!"

Uncle John ran out of the house. I looked at Kevin. His face was pale and he was having trouble breathing. I inched close to him and snuggled up next to him. He wrapped his arm around me and pulled me close. I looked for Joe but Joe was gone. He probably went next door to call 911. Uncle John had hidden all of our house phones in case we wanted to call 911. The knife was still sticking out of Kevin's chest. I didn't move it out of fear that I would hurt Kevin even more. Kevin slowly ran his hand through my hair, something he and Joe always did to calm me down. I could feel myself fading away.

"N-Nick," Kevin whispered. I turned to him, letting him know I was listening. "Don't….listen to…John," he said. "It's….not your….fault I'm….hurt….I'm the…..one who…..jumped…..in front of…..the knife…..not you…..it was…..my decision…..not yours…" Kevin was wheezing at this point and tears filled my eyes. Kevin wiped a tear away. "Hey….don't be…sad…..we'll be…..in a better….place….soon."

"I love you," I whispered.

"Love you….too," Kevin said. Then he started coughing. He coughed up a lot of blood and managed to breathe again. "I'll….always be…with you…."

That's the last thing I heard before I passed out.

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	3. Chapter 3

When I woke up there were people around me. I was still in Kevin's arms. I looked over at Kevin. His eyes were closed. Then I realized he wasn't breathing. I tried to move but I was too weak. His grip on me had loosened as I was unconscious. His skin was cold and pale. Tears filled my eyes. I laid my head on Kevin's shoulder and willed death to take me.

The people around me weren't having any of that though. Suddenly I was being lifted by someone and put on a gurney. I tried to fight the strong arms that held me but I was too weak from the blood I lost. I looked down at Kevin and reached out to him.

"Kevin!" I whispered.

"He's gone son," the man who put me on a gurney said.

"KEVIN!" I screamed. Adrenaline surged through my body and I fought the hands that tried to keep me still. "KEVIN! NOOOOO! KEVIN!"

"Can you calm him down?" a woman asked someone.

"I'll try," a teary voice said. I recognized that voice. It was Joe's. Joe came up to me and grabbed my hand. I saw his tear stained face and my heart sank. "Hey," he said. "You need to calm down so that the paramedics can help you."

"I d-don't want them to h-help me," I said, tears falling down my face. "I…I d-deserve to d-die!"

"No you don't," Joe said. "I need you buddy. Please don't give up!"

"K-Kevin!" I wailed.

"I know Nick, I know," Joe said. He ran his hand through my hair. "Shh, calm down. Kevin would want these people to help you. I know you know that. Let them help, please. Otherwise they will make you sleep."

"But K-Kevin," I said.

"Nick, they can't help him now," Joe said softly. "He's gone."

"NOOOOO!" I screamed. "KEVIN!"

"That's it," the woman said. "We're sedating him."

I felt a pinch in my arm and whipped my head around. There was a needle in my arm. The needle came out and I suddenly felt sleepy. Before I passed out I saw Joe looking at me with sad eyes.

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When I woke up I heard a beeping noise. I opened my eyes and realized I was in a hospital. The beeping was coming from my heart monitor. I looked around the room and saw Joe. Joe had his head on my hospital bed. I think he was asleep but I wasn't sure. He was holding my hand but his grip was relaxed. I guessed he was asleep. I blinked a few times, trying to keep my eyes open.

I gripped onto Joe's hand as pain shot through my back. I moaned as the pain got worse. Joe woke up and he whipped his head toward me. His face had tear stains but his eyes filled with relief when he saw I was awake. He pushed a red button on a remote that was attached to my bed when he saw that I was in pain. Soon a nurse came in and gave me a shot. The pain went away almost immediately. She checked my leg and made me roll onto my side so that she could look at my back. Then she let me lay back down on my back and left the room.

"Hey buddy," Joe said softly. "How are you feeling?"

"Uhhh," I said.

"That bad?" Joe asked. I nodded. "You'll feel better soon. The doctor will take good care of you."

Suddenly I remembered what happened. "Kev….?" I whispered.

Joe's face fell and my heart sank. "Nick….Kevin….he's um…he's gone Nick."

I couldn't stop the tears from flowing down my face. Joe tried to wipe them away but gave up as they began to fall faster. He squeezed my hand and ran his other hand through my curls. He then leaned in and kissed my forehead. I closed my eyes and more tears fell. I opened them again and started to sob. The sobs were very painful but I couldn't stop.

Joe helped me sit up and hugged me gently. I buried my face in Joe's chest. I took deep, painful breaths in between my sobs. Joe held me until I stopped crying. Once I started to calm down, I started to get the hiccups. Joe couldn't help but smile as I hiccupped. He pulled me close to him and gently rested his chin on my head. Once I calmed down I began to get sleepy. Joe started rocking me back and forth slowly and I closed my eyes.


End file.
